The Hollows Mask (Rewritten)
by ObsidianDominionDragon
Summary: Follow Dominique as she explores the world of Bleach.


The Hollows Mask

I hope you enjoy this newly rewritten story.

~O~O~O~O~O~

_/This means mental talking/_

This means that inner hollows or other inner beings are speaking in the over world

_/Together means that they are talking mentally/_

Prologue: Shadowed Beginning

3rd Person POV: South Carolina, US

The night was cool and crisp with the autumn air. Leaves swirled in the wind and the smell of decaying leaves, hay, pine, and burning wood gave the world a sense of warmth that eased the chill. The occasional person walked about in the darkness, though most people were long asleep.

One person was out of place though. The woman standing atop an old building in the center of the town. Her hair fluttering in the wind as she looked over the sleepy town. She wore a strange outfit that covered her whole body like a japanese male kimono. A white coat resting on her shoulders fluttered around her, barely being held on by a cord. There was a sword at her waist. An ornate hilt that had an oddly shaped hilt guard.

Her expression was blank. Her eyes cool and calculated as she looked out over the town. Her eyes suddenly darted over to the south. A wisp of smoke started swirling from her left pocket. She glanced down for a second before nodding and leaping up into the air. Her feet seemed to touch an invisible force in the air as she propelled herself through the sky as if she were flying.

She flew through the sky as if she were running on the ground. She soon came up to a trailer park. The place was raggedy looking and had no movement coming from the cluster of homes. The woman lands silently on the tin covered roof of one of the homes in the center of the area. She waits quietly as she checks her phone.

"Almost here. Third one this week," she muttered to herself as she felt the pressure in the air change ever so slightly. A clawed hand bursted from what appeared to be a crack in the sky. As soon as the monster's mask appeared through the crack she made her move. A thin line appeared on the mask from the top to the bottom. A pained hiss escaped the being as a click was heard. The woman sheathing her sword back as she watched the monster vanish in a cloud of black mist.

She then checks her phone again. Marking off the bounty on the beast she'd just slain and making a note of its crimes.

"More powerful hollows are coming for her now. She's starting to emit reiatsu. Not much more time left before it comes out full force. I hope you're ready kid. Your old life is almost done." She said as she pulled out a flat mask from her pocket. The bone-like material giving off a dark energy. In the distance, howls ring out, piercing the air like a cold blade.

Chapter 1: Falling Innocence

1st Person POV

I yawned quietly. Though it wasn't quiet enough as I felt several pairs of eyes on me. Then again, most people either paid too much attention to me, or none at all. There was no in between. As I closed my mouth I winced a bit. One of my sharp back teeth caught my cheek, making me taste a bit of blood in my mouth. Blegh. I rubbed the sore spot with my tongue as I looked back at the board covered in math problems.

I jotted down a couple more notes on my paper before looking up at the paper ghost that hung from the ceiling. Chuckling to myself at the innacuracy of them. Ghost looked like regular people. Or at least that's how I've seen them since I was little. Though lately I started seeing the ghost with chains attached to their chest. I had no clue what they were there for, but they were there.

I looked over to the clock and saw the day was almost over. Thank goodness. Halloween was today and I wanted to get ready for tonight's trick or treating. Halloween was by far my favorite holiday. I started sneakily putting my stuff in my bag. Making sure to leave my notebook on my desk in case the teacher decided to get on my case again. Soon enough the bell rang and everyone got up. A chorus of noise starting as people excitedly talked about their plans for tonight.

I headed out the door quickly and down the hall to my locker. I unlocked it and placed my unneeded books inside. Making sure to grab my cell phone and stick the tiny device into my pocket. Then I grabbed my mp3 and headphones. I took out the needed items for homework and studying that I'd need to do before tonight's activities. I felt someone approaching from behind me.

"HOI!" A loud shout rang in my ears, making me jump as I spun around. My best friend Emma stood there with a wicked smirk on her face. Her golden brown eyes lit up in mirth.

"You bitch. How many times have I told you not to do that? One of these days you're gonna get slapped". I said with no real venom in my voice. She chuckled.

"Nah. You always know when someone's behind you. And you know I'm the only one who test you like that anymore." I rolled my eyes and pushed her back half heartedly. She laughed as her brown curly hair bounced from her movement. Shuan smirked off to the side. His usually messy hair tied up in a low ponytail and his green eyes watching us.

My two best friends had plans to go pranking people tonight. Sadly I couldn't join them since I was on little brother babysitting duty. The two of them groaned at my explanation before smirking.

"We'll be sure to get some footage then sis." Emma exclaimed as she held up a small red camera. Shaun nodded excitedly. I smiled warmly at them as I closed my locker.

"See you tomorrow. I gotta get to the bus." I said as I headed down the hallway. The two of them started heading out to the car rider pickup area. I headed out to the bus zone and waited for the buses to get here. I put my headphones in and started listening to some of my alt rock music. Humming to myself as I waited. I felt eyes on me, angry and irritated looks at my back.

Being the local freak was annoying for sure, but I'd gotten used to it after a while. Especially since Emma came and helped me gain some self confidence. I was no longer just the poor smart girl with freaky eyes and sharp teeth. I was now the silent shadow. I could move quietly from place to place, spooking people who didn't notice me and my large eyes tended to scare those who looked into them. Mom never explained why I looked this way, or why kids treated me differently, but it didn't really matter. Kids were assholes anyway.

As the bus got here I got on with the rest of the kids. Making my way to a front row seat and settling down as I pulled out a book. Thinking I'd get some homework done before I got home. I wrote lightly so I could rewrite the answers again later when I wasn't being bounced around on a bus.

After about forty minutes of riding we finally got to my stop. I packed up my things and stepped out. I noticed a boy towards the back with a paper ball in his hand who was watching me. I readied myself as I walked towards the exit. Sure enough the ball came flying at me. I caught it with my right hand and smirked as I looked back at him. I watched in satisfaction as he sank back in his seat a bit more. The driver rolled her eyes as she looked back at the boy as well. I tossed the ball into the small trash can on the floor.

"Michael. I'll be writing you up for bullying again. What have I said about throwing things on my bus?" She asked in a huff. I smirked in satisfaction before walking down the stairs and exiting. My feet landing on the crunchy gravel. I headed up the walkway and over to my home. The old trailer looking dirty for the most part, but the yard was well kept. More so than some of the other yards.

I greeted one of my cats who was sunning herself on the porch. Cooing as I picked her up and nuzzled against her soft fur. The stress from the day melted away as I held her close. She squirmed a bit; not liking the way I was holding her. I kissed her nose softly before taking her inside with me. I greeted my mom who was vacuuming the living room. The kitty in my arms doubled her efforts to get away at the sound of the machine. I let her go and she tore off into my room. I'd need to get her some treats for that.

I moved over to shoo my mom away from the vacuum and tell her to go rest. She worked too hard and tended to come home and work more. She protested but I tossed my bag onto the couch and told her to go take a nap. Now normally I wouldn't order my mom around like that, but she needed to relax some. Being eleven now meant that I could help with the chores around here. She shouldn't be pushing herself so much. She smiled down in humored exasperation before going to sit on the chair. I then continued the vacuuming and worked on getting the sweeping and mopping done too. Soon she'd fallen asleep and I smiled to myself.

I finished off the cleaning and then put away the supplies. Then I headed to my room and finished off my homework before putting on my witch costume for the night. My step dad brought home my little brothers from daycare after he got off work. He and my mom helped get their costumes together and ready for trick or treating.

I headed out to the living room as I adjusted the floppy witch hat on my head. I saw my little brothers as they played with their little plastic weapons. I giggled at the sight of two mini ninja turtles duking it out. They were too dang cute. We got our things together and headed out to the car.

We'd be joining my aunt and my cousins for the night as well before going to the good neighborhoods for the best candy. It didn't take long for us to get there and we were set to start running around. Going up to the various houses in the close knit neighborhood. As well as visiting my grandpa at his house and showing off our costumes.

We eventually filled our bags full of goodies and my brothers grew more and more tired. They went back to my parents as my cousins and I started playing games like tag and hide and seek. The four of us running around and wearing each other out. I eventually went and hid behind a large tree whose leaves were a deep red color that during the day made it look like it was on fire.

I took a moment to catch my breath. The air had grown cold enough for me to see my breath and the sweat on me was starting to give me chills. I rubbed my hands along my arms a bit. I heard a bit of rustling from the tree above me. I figured it was a squirrel running around above me. I looked up only to have something land on my face painfully. My vision went white as I yelped in pain. I held my now throbbing forehead as I curled up on myself.

"Ow, ow, ow fuck ow!" I mumbled under my breath as I blinked to clear away the pained tears. I looked around in the darkness for what fell on me and was surprised to find what appeared to be a strange mask. I went to go pick it up carefully and checked it out.

Did some kid toss the thing into the tree? I looked around and didn't see anyone nearby so no one had actually thrown it at me. I shrugged to myself as I looked it over. Finders keepers and all that.

The mask was made of some sort of material that felt a bit rougher than porcelain, but it wasn't wood, plastic, or rubber either. I couldn't really tell what it was made from, and the detail on it was amazing. Even though it was dark, the red lines that covered the left side of it were pretty vibrant. I flipped it over and noticed that it didn't have any sort of string or holes in it for wearing. Was it a decoration?

I lifted it up and rested it against my face. Giggling to myself as I peered through the slitted eye holes. I smiled to myself as I slipped the mask into my bag before standing back up and heading back over to find my cousins. The four of us agreed to go find a few more houses before calling it a night and meeting back up with my our parents.

We went over to another nearby neighborhood where kids were still trick or treating and headed over to a house I was pretty familiar with. The old couple living here were regulars at my mom's job and my step dad would do yard work for them since they had trouble doing it themselves. I hadn't seen them recently, though I'd heard that Mr. Hansen had some issues come up with his health. Dad wasn't very specific. It was probably cancer from the look on his face.

We walked up to the door and I noticed Mr. Hansen standing on the porch...a chain glinting softly in the center of his chest. I felt my own chest tighten up. He'd died. We did our usual trick or treat spiel when a middle aged woman answered the door. I remembered she was their daughter. She must have come back down here to take care of her parents.

After we got our candy the others went on ahead. I stayed a bit behind the group and waited for a moment to be alone before going over to Mr. Hansen's ghost.

"Sir"? I asked softly as I looked up at him. He seemed shocked that I was addressing him. He'd probably tried to get someone to see him, only to find out regular people couldn't see ghosts.

"You can see me child?" He asked. I nodded as I smiled softly at him.

"Yes sir. I've been able to see ghosts for a while now. If I may ask. Why haven't you moved on yet"?

"My wife. She's barely holding on and I can't bare to leave her." He said sadly. Sitting on the steps as he covered his face in sorrow. I tried to focus really hard before I rested a hand on his shoulder. Touching a ghost was something fairly new to me still, but with enough concentration I could make contact. He looked up at me in shock before smiling gratefully.

"Thank you child. It's been so long since I had someone to talk to. I've missed going to breakfast in the morning and seeing you with your father there. You always had a book or a drawing in your hands. Even half asleep. I remember when you were a tiny little thing hiding behind your mother's knees.". He said with a nostalgic tone to his voice. I smile as well.

He stilled before looking up. A surprised look on his face as he stood and phased through the wall into the house. A few moments later he led out a dazed looking elderly woman. A warm smile on his face as he held her close. She was clinging to him as she gathered her bearings. I smiled softly. It was sad knowing she had just died, but also happy that they were together again.

She looked down at me and I waved a little. She moved to hug me and I made sure to concentrate so she wouldn't just pass through me. I felt myself growing more and more tired. So much exercise before then this. I could feel myself becoming light headed. After we spoke a few more minutes, the two of them hugged each other before a soft blue glow surrounded them both.

The glow shrunk and shrunk until they had become two small orbs that slowly rose into the sky and soon faded from sight. I was left with a slightly sweet taste on the back of my tongue and a sense of calmness as I watched them move on from this world. While I didn't know what lies beyond this world, I hoped they were happy.

I smiled to myself before looking back to the house. A frown growing on my lips as I realized what the woman inside would soon find. I felt bad for her, but there wasn't really anything I could do. I was just a kid. A freaky one mind you, but still a kid. I started heading back to my family, knowing my cousins would be doing the same soon enough too.

I got back to my parents first and told them I came back early because I was tired. They bought the lie easily enough as I put my bag of candy and other treats in the trunk. I pulled on a blue hoodie over my costume and sat in the car as I closed my eyes. I drifted in and out of sleep a bit before we finally got home.

Mom had picked up McDonalds while I'd been zoned out and I munched on a burger as I headed to my room with my candy bag. I set the bag down as I finished off my food. I then noticed the mask peeking out the top of the bag. I picked up the thing gently and smiled as I looked it over again in better lighting.

I froze though when a crack formed in the center of it before the thing splintered apart and turned into dust in my hands.

"What the fuck"?! I whispered out as I saw the small pile of white dust on the floor. I knelt down and looked over what had been something solid just a moment ago. How did that happen? It had been sturdy enough before. Hell it hand landed on my head from a tree top and hadn't had a single damn dent in it.

I felt myself become irritated and upset as I cleaned up the dust and tossed it into the trash.

_/Fine. Whatever. I didn't need the stupid thing anyway/_ I grumbled to myself in my head as I went to go shower and get ready for bed. After I laid down for the night I covered up and hugged one of my body pillows. I felt myself slowly relax as sleep dragged me under.

~O~O~O~O~O~

_Darkness. Shadows surrounding me._

_Sharp teeth. Fangs against my throat._

_Something cold on my face. Pain in my chest._

_A biting chill. My fingers felt numb._

_A rumbling growl. A deep hunger._

_Eat. Eat. EAT!_

~O~O~O~O~O~

I sat up in shock. My heart pounding in my chest as I felt sweat run down my face. A nightmare? I felt myself go into a full body shiver. Even the hairs on my head standing up a bit which felt weird as hell. I hugged my arms around myself as I tried to calm down.

"Just a nightmare. It wasn't real. They can't hurt you. You're fine". I repeated to myself as I slowly relaxed. I took a deep breath and laid back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. I couldn't even remember what the nightmare was about and yet I don't remember ever feeling such dread before.

I knew it wasn't from the candy. I'd only eaten a piece from grandpa's house. We'd still have to get the rest of the candy checked for stuff today. Maybe I was just unlucky and my imagination fucked with me in my sleep.

I peered over at my clock and groaned. I still had four hours before I'd have to get up for school. I just hoped I could go back to sleep. I covered back up and tried to relax. Surprisingly it didn't take long for me to fall unconscious.

~O~O~O~O~O~

I felt cool all over. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. Something was tickling my face though. It smelled like grass. Wait...grass?

I blinked slowly, seeing a fuck ton of green. I lifted up my head and saw that I was on the ground. Surrounded by huge ass trees. They looked like those big redwood trees I'd seen on tv. Moss and various other small vegetation surrounded the bases of the trees and climbed up the trunks. The air smelled clean and crisp.

"Where the hell am I"? I said out loud as I looked around in shock. There was no place like this anywhere I know of except for the western part of America. And even then I hadn't seen plants like these grow under those trees. Some of these didn't even look like they were real. Flowers that glowed, winding ferns and other plants that didn't look natural.

I got up and saw that I was still in my pajamas. Wait ...was this a dream? I felt a feeling of relief go through me. It had to be a dream. There was no other logical reason I was in a place I'd never been before. I felt so proud of myself for figuring it out and the fact I was having my first ever lucid dream

I grinned to myself before walking along. Eager to explore this strange world my mind had cooked up. The sky was completely blocked out by the foliage of the trees above me, but it was somehow still light enough for me to see with ease. And the glowing flowers that dotted the forest floor gave the world an ethereal feeling. I hummed to myself as I walked along.

Eventually I found what appeared to be a path among the trees. I decided to follow it, treating it like a Pokemon game as I headed through the forest. Soon I found myself coming to a large field filled with various wildflowers of all kinds. The flowers themselves came up past my knees and even some were as tall as I was. I grinned as I looked around contently.

"Heh. Having fun kid"? A voice said off to the side that made me jump. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end. The voice did not sound human. I turned to find the source of the voice and was met with the sight of a boy sitting in one of the smaller trees that dotted the edge of the field.

I couldn't really tell how tall he was, but he appeared to have a human look to him. Though his hair and skin all appeared to be bone white. As well as the strange outfit he wore. There were hints of black here and there...his eyes…

His eyes were black around the outer parts with a golden iris that sent a tingle of fear going through me. They were half open, staring at me with an almost uncaring expression, but there was something in his gaze that made me feel like I was being hunted.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" He snickered as he leaped down from the tree. The jump he made would have left me with two broken legs, but he stuck the landing as if he was merely taking a step.

"Who are you? What are you doing here"? I asked as I took a step back. I could see now he was about my height. Probably around my age? His white hair was spiky and was a mess around his smirking face. He chuckled as he started walking towards me. I kept backing up.

"I don't really have a name, but that's not important. The important part is that I'm here to kill you". He said as he kept walking. I snorted.

"Oh really? This is my dream. I think it's time for you to disappear". I said as I tried to will him away. He grinned wider as he seemed to vanish. I felt myself relax, only to let out a choked off scream as I felt a hand close around my throat. I felt myself lifted up into the air as pain went through me.

"If this is really a dream, then how come I can do this"? He said before throwing me through the air. Wind whistled passed me as I suddenly felt myself crash to the ground. Pain going through me as I cried out. I forced my eyes open and saw him getting closer. He was reaching behind him for something. I felt myself go cold as I saw what appeared to be a giant fucking knife shaped sword form in his hand.

He lifted it up into the air and I felt dread go through me.

_/I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Get away!/_ I curled up on myself as I trembled. The attack never came though. I shook as I peeked carefully. I blinked in shock when I found myself back in my bed. The light of the morning sun just barely peeking into my room from my window.

I felt myself sag as I felt pure and utter relief go through me. Two nightmares in one night…

Wait...my throat hurt for some reason. I reached up and yelped at the tenderness of the skin on my neck. I carefully got up and hurried to the bathroom. Moving to climb onto the sink to look at myself in the mirror. I felt my blood run cold when I saw the hand print around my neck.

It...hadn't been a dream...but what was it? That boy. Who...or what was he? What was that place? Wha-

I froze as I saw darkness seeping over my vision. Like black, inky tentacles that covered my right eye. I was able to see it happening in the mirror as my vision slowly faded. After darkness covered my sight I was suddenly able to see again and saw my eyes had turned into his. Black and gold. My pupils were different though, thinner. Slitted like a cat's eyes.

"What the fuck is going on"?! I managed to keep to a whisper as I shook. This was not normal. Even more so than my usual freakyness.

_/Hmm...not a bad look for ya kid./_ I heard his voice inside my head. Making me jump and fall off the sink. I hissed in pain as I landed on my butt.

"You're inside my head?!" I whispered angrily as I sat against the bathroom wall.

_/Fraid so short stack./_

"Turn my eyes back to normal right now!"

_/Why?/_

"Can you actually do anything to me out here"?

_/I mean I could, but I don't feel like it right now./_

"Seriously?"

_/Yep./_

"Why?"

_/Cause I don't feel like it right now./_ He replied lazily.

"Oh but you felt like killing me earlier." I retorted.

_/I was messing with you./_

"Seriously?"

_/Yep. Though in all seriousness, I will kill you if you can't learn to defend yourself. I'm not about to have a weak host./_

"Explain please"? I asked softly. I heard him laugh in my head.

_/Nah. I think I'm going to have some fun with this. Let's see how well you fare next time you show up here./_ After he said that he went quiet. I sat there quietly for a while as I tried to process the information now going through my head.

After a few minutes I stood back up carefully and looked at my face. Surprisingly my eyes were back to their normal bluish color. Though more grey than usual due to my stress. I also noticed the hand print on my neck was gone. I felt relief go through me.

I washed my face with a warm washcloth before going back to my room to sit down. I had so many different emotions going through me. All mixing together and turning into a jumbled mess. I had so little information to go on. I didn't know what was going on. And apparently I had to somehow get stronger or I'd die.

I don't want to die.

~O~O~O~O~O~

Well that's the prologue and chapter one. I hope you enjoyed.

Obsidian out.


End file.
